Strengthen Zoning Ordinance amid extreme flooding

A REPRESENTATIVE from the Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis) said there is a need to strengthen the Zoning Ordinance amid extreme flooding experienced in Davao City caused by shear and trough of the Low-Pressure Area (LPA).

Lemuel Manalo, program coordinator of Idis, a local environmental organization, said in a media interview on Monday morning, February 5, 2024, at SM Ecoland that by strengthening the zoning ordinance, high-density residential or any residential projects would be forbidden especially along floodway zones.

“l-bawal na gyud ang high-density residential or any residential settlements pag abot sa floodway zones. Nag-delineate na pod ni atoang mga floodway zones sa atoang zoning ordinance. Nakabutang sa specific sections na bawal na ang mga subdivisions, high-density settlements ani na zones. We need to respect and value those local ordinances,” Manalo said.

(We will prohibit the construction of high-density residential or any residential settlements at floodway zones. The floodway zones are already delineated in the zoning ordinance. It is located in the specific sections where it is prohibited to develop subdivisions, and high-density settlements in these particular zones. We need to respect and value those local ordinances.)

The Comprehensive Land Use Plan is an act from 2022 to 2032 and for the first five years, reclassification is not allowed. Manalo said that there is a need to prepare when the time comes that the ordinance can already be reclassified. He said there should be numerous appeals to protect uninhabitable areas.